LeBron James, 39, drops huge retirement hint after his 40-piece in Lakers win over Nets

LeBron James only hinted at how long he hopes to continue playing in the NBA after his 40-point display against the Brooklyn Nets, as he admitted he’s on the “other side of the hill” and doesn’t have much time left. the league.

Speaking to reporters after tying the most 3-pointers made (9) in the game on Sunday since he was drafted 21 years ago, James remains tight-lipped about when the time will be right to say goodbye to the partnership that has been . a part since 2003.

“Not for a long time, I’m not going to play another 21 years, that’s absolutely certain,” he said after taking all but one of his shots from behind the arc. “I don’t know when that door will close, but I don’t have much time left.”

James once again looked like a timeless wonder as he played in his 1,485th career game and tied his season high to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 116-104 victory over the Nets on Easter.

James had the crowd at Barclays Center on its feet as he put the finishing touches on his three-point shooting display in the fourth quarter. He reached 40 points for the third time this season, most recently on March 16 in a home loss to Golden State.

The Lakers have won five of six since then, and this victory put them nine games over .500, a season-high, with seven games remaining in the regular season. Los Angeles remained ninth in the Western Conference, but the Lakers could catch the Sacramento Kings in eighth place or the Phoenix Suns in seventh place in the West, knocking them out of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 single-elimination game.

If James has another game like this in the postseason, almost anything is possible for the NBA scoring leader who continues to surprise at 39 years old.

The 20-time All-Star finished 13 of 17 overall as the Lakers played the fourth game of a six-game road trip and bounced back from a Friday night loss at Indiana that snapped their five-game winning streak.

“I spent a lot of time working on my craft,” James said.

Anthony Davis added 24 points and 14 rebounds, and Rui Hachimura scored 20 points and 10 rebounds in a game in which the Lakers led by 20 in the first quarter and controlled throughout. Brooklyn got its deficit within double digits only once in the second half.

Cam Thomas led the Nets with 30 points, trying to turn them around after their dismal start.

“But you can’t do anything when someone makes 9 of 10 from 3,” Thomas said. “He made every three-pointer he made, so it’s tough, but I feel like we played really well from the second to the fourth.” It was just that the first quarter was pretty difficult for us, starting off that slow.”

The Lakers got 114 of their 116 points from their starters.

James also made nine 3-pointers on January 24, 2023 against the Clippers, going 9 of 14. His 90 percent accuracy was the second-best of his career in games in which he made at least five 3-pointers, according to Elias. Sports Office. He was 5-for-5 against Oklahoma City on Dec. 23 of this season.

Up next for the Lakers: the Toronto Raptors on Easter Monday.